Scientists Have Discovered a Brand-New Type of Cell Hiding in The Human Body

A brand-new type of cell has been found in human lungs.

The new cells play a vital role in keeping the respiratory system functioning properly and could even inspire new treatments to reverse the effects of certain smoking-related diseases according to a new study.

The respiratory airway secretory cells are found in the bronchioles, which are the small air sacs that exchange oxygen and carbon with the bloodstream.

The new cells are similar to stem cells in that they can differentiate into any other type of cell in the body, and are capable of repairing damaged alveoli cells.

Researchers discovered the cells after becoming increasingly frustrated by the limitations of using lungs as models for the human respiratory system. Scientists have struggled to fill some knowledge gaps about human lungs because of the differences between the two.

The team took lung tissue samples from healthy human donors and analyzed the genes within individual cells in order to understand the differences on a cellular level.

Edward Morrisey, a professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania who specializes in respiratory systems, told Live Science that it has been known for some time that the human lung's airways are different from the mouse's.

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Ferrets have respiratory systems that are more similar to humans than those of mice. Morrisey said that the researchers suspect that most mammals are likely to have cells in their lungs.

The lungs have two main functions. First, they make a substance that keeps the fluid lining along the bronchioles, which helps to prevent the tiny airways from collapsing.

They can act as progenitor cells for alveolar type 2 cells, a special type of alveoli that produce a chemical that is used in part to repair other damaged alveoli. A progenitor cell is a cell that can differentiate into another type of cell.

Morrisey said thatRAS cells act as both progenitor cells and also have important functional roles in maintaining airway health.

The researchers think that a key role in smoking related diseases is played by RAS cells. Smoking and air pollution can cause inflammation of airway passages inside the lungs, which can lead to COPD.

COPD has similar symptoms to asthma because of the inflammation of the airways. COPD can lead to emphysema, in which alveoli are destroyed, and chronic bronchitis, a long- lasting and intense cough.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 3 million people die from COPD every year.

The effects of COPD should be prevented by repairing damaged alveoli. The researchers think that smoking can cause damage to the new cells and lead to diseases such as COPD.

Anti- inflammatory drugs and oxygen therapy are prescribed to patients with COPD. These are only temporary solutions and do nothing to reverse lung damage.

If researchers can properly harness the cells' regenerative properties, they could potentially be used to improve treatments or even cure COPD.

Morrisey said they don't know if the discovery could lead to a potential cure for COPD.

Since COPD is a disease that we know very little about, any new insight should help the field think about new approaches that could lead to better treatments.

The study was published in the journal Nature.

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The article was published by Live Science. The original article can be found here.